Nightingale
by Minao Tskino
Summary: Nightingale is a professional assassin in Gotham. Robin is the leader of the Teen Titans. What do they have in common? They're twins. And what will a certain evil mercenary who still wants an apprentice do when he finds this out? You'll have to read this to know! OC. Sister and brother love. Lots of fun murder scenes. Favorites and reviews equals MORE CHAPTERS!
1. Preface

**I'm now updating every time I get reviews. If I get none, I WILL NOT UPDATE. Also, tell your FF friends about my story! They will (hopefully) review, and then the next chapter will come up faster. Just sayin', How fast I write is up to you!**

**Thanks for Reading.**

**-Minao Tskino :)**

* * *

Nightingale-Chapter 0

Author-Preface

Breath in.

Breath out.

Breath in...

She pushed down on the trigger, and a loud "BANG!" came out. A window shattered. The woman she had aimed at dropped to her knees. A scream came from the man the woman was having dinner with. He rushed over to the woman, as she dropped down further. He held her as she died, tears streaming down his face.

Nightingale let a tiny smirk play across her face. '_God, these people are so emotional' _She thought. The mission had been a success.

Nightingale had shot the woman from a rooftop across the street. She backed up a few feet, away from the edge, and pulled out her cellphone. She put her gun on the ground. Pressing the "on" button, she waited for the phone to lite up.

"DROID" The red screen lit up, Nightingale went through her contacts, and located "Boss". She pressed call.

"..."

"..."

"...Hello?"

"The mission was a success."

"Good job. Your money will be at the usual place."

"The whole thousand?"

"Of course. And, I have another mission for you."

"Hmm?"

"You have worked for me for a long time, and haven't failed yet." Nightingale laughed lightly, knowing what this meant.

"Someone tough? Hard security?"

"Bruce Wayne."

'_Aw...Shit." _She thought, and covered her forehead with her hand.

"Bruce Wayne?"

"Yes. Or..."

"Or?"

"If you..see him around...Batman."

_'Well, someone knows his secret...Damn it! This is just...UGH! I can't believe things turned out like this!" _Nightingale clenched her fist, and scowled.

"So, either Bruce or Batman?"

"Yes, it seems that Bruce Wayne is actually.."

'_Don't say it!"_

"Batman."

"Really?!" She tried to sound surprised, although she knew this already.

"Yes, and somebody wants him dead, so, as always, don't fail."

"But, he's _Batman_!" She tried to talk him out of giving her the job. She really didn't feel like getting a new boss...again.

"Are you saying that one of my best assassins can't kill someone?"

"Yes! I mean no, but-"

"Do you want the job or not?!" He yelled into the phone.

_'Whatever! He's been irritating me for weeks now. I don't even care!"_She thought words that she would regret later.

"Not!"

"Then, YOUR FIRED!" The call ended.

_'Another boss lost because of him.' _Nightingale gritted her teeth; anger rising in her. She kicked the gun on the ground a few feet away.

...

Nightingale was at her house, located in Gotham. She had calmed down a lot, and was wearing her rural outfit.

Her raven black hair was gathered into a braid, going down her back, and ending at her stomach.

Her blue eyes were covered by dark black shades. She never liked people to see her eyes. She wanted her emotions to be hidden. That's why her assassin outfit had a mask.

She wore a black leather jacket, with a grey shirt underneath, black jeans, and black boots. ( A.N./ As you might guess, black is her favorite color...XD)

Right now, she was Ellie Smith, one of her many aliases. In Gotham, there were MANY, MANY crime bosses, many assassin bosses, and many lone villains. Batman was the only hero. Robin had been there...But then he went to Jump City, and became the leader of the Teen Titans.

Nightingale turned on her phone again, and went through the contacts untill she found "R".

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Hello? This is Robin. Who am I speaking to?"

"It's N." A gasp was heard at the other end, and the sound of Robin running into his room.

"Hey! Why are you calling? Are you coming to visit?!" He sounded excited, and hopeful.

"No, I'm just giving you a tip: Someone knows the Bat's identity. Give him a heads up for me, okay?"

"...Ya...Sure..It's nice to hear from you."

"Ya, It's been a while."

"...Are you coming to Jump City soon?"

"I don't think so. I have to find another boss-"

"Because you wouldn't take the job to kill B."

"Yep."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...So, I'm going now. Bye-"

"Wait!"

"Hmm?"

"..I-It was nice to hear from you, sis."

"You too, bro."

'Click'


	2. Past

Chapter 1 of Nightingale

Nightingale-Past Experiences

_The first day the circus preformed in Gotham City, I was sick. Annoyingly, stupidly, not-faking sick. My head was one-hundred and two degrees, my eyes were itchy and red, I was coughing on everything, my nose was running, and I had an unbearable headache._

_"Yep, she's sick." The doctor said, putting his thermometer back into his suitcase. I sighed, and let my head sink into the pillow. Mama, Papa, and Brother were in my room, way in the back of our trailer. I would've done my first act without a net if I wasn't sick._

_"Why today?" I shut my eyes, and put my hands over my head._

_"We have more days in Gotham, dear. Papa will go in place of you with Dick to do the act. So, don't worry, it'll be fine." Mama reassured._

_"Ya, don't worry, Cassie, everything will be fine!" Richard smiled. I opened my eyes, smiling weakly back at him._

_"I'll do it tomorrow." I said, more to myself than to them._

_"Exactly. Now rest up, sweetie, you'll feel better soon." Papa, Mama, and the doctor left the room. Richard stayed behind._

_"It's so unfair that you get to do it before me." I whined, turning over onto my side._

_"What do you expect them to do? Hold up the entire circus for you? Don't be an idiot, Cassie." I laughed, weakly._

_"You shouldn't be saying those kind of things to your older sister, Richie."_

_"Older?! By like three minutes, may I remind you!" We laughed together. Richie always made me feel better. He and I used to be so alike. We even looked identical. Things change so quickly._

_..._

_I was asleep in the trailer some hours later. I woke up to Richie shaking me. I smiled up at him, and noticed he had tears in his eyes. I also noticed that my headache was gone, and I didn't feel so weak._

_"What's up Bro? Why are you crying?" I smirked, as he sat down, "You are such a crybaby you know." I laughed, but he didn't laugh with me. He just stared off into nowhere. "Richie?"_

_"Mom and Dad fell." What he said didn't fully enter my brain. Like, I heard it, but my brain couldn't process what he was saying._

_"Oh my god..Where are they now? Did they break something? When are they going to be able to perform again?"_

_"N-Never." He choked out. My face paled, not wanting to believe what he was so obviously hinting at._

_"It was that serious?! I don't think you mean it. They're safer than that. They'll be up on their feet in no time. You'll see-"_

_"They're dead! Alright?! Dead! Their ropes broke, and they died! **And they're NEVER going to perform again! They're never going to kiss us goodnight! They're not around anymore! Get it through your thick skull!**" He ran out of the room. He slammed the door shut, and I just sat on my bed, staring at the door for long, long minutes._

_"...They're...Dead...Really...Dead..." I said, tears spilling down my cheeks.  
_

_..._

_It turned out, that their ropes didn't just "break". They were cut, by some of Harvey Dent's men. The police were after him, but he was hiding somewhere. Four days after the murder, and he still wasn't found. _

_Richie and I were put into an orphanage. We hardly spoke to each other. Six days after the murder, Richie told me that he was going after Harvey Dent. _

_"You can't do that! You'll die!"_

_"No I won't. I'm going to look for him, and when I find him, I'll kill him."_

_"Richard, that's evil! That's revenge! Y-you can't." I started to tear up. Richard didn't comfort me like he used to, just kept going on about it. How he needed to do it. _

_"Look, some guy named Bruce Wayne's going to adopt me, and I'm going to leave, find Harvey, and kill him. Then, I'll come back for you."_

_"No, I don't want to be with these people. They keep looking at me so pitifully, it makes me sick!" I cried out. He took me in his arms, for the last time._

_"I'm going to miss you, Sis."_

_"Me too, Bro." After a minute, he let go, and we split._

_"Okay?"_

_"Ya. Hey, I'll go to Jump City. I'll use that money I've saved up. Then, you can come there. We can be together."_

_"That sounds like a plan." He smiled. I smiled back, though I didn't want him to get caught up in revenge._

_..._

_The apartment wasn't very nice, but I would have enough money to stay there for at least five months. It was a good thing I saved it up. Jump was nice, though the city was clouded in crime and murders. I was living in a not-so-good part of the city, and I was kind of scared of what might happen._

_The first week I stayed there, I checked the news in Gotham. Harvey was still not arrested, or dead for that matter. Batman, the city's superhero, had a new sidekick - Robin. That name reminded me of something I had heard before, but I couldn't figure it out. At the time, I didn't remember my late Mama calling Richie that._

_The second week, Harvey was in an accident in trying to kill Batman and Robin and some hostage named Dr. Chase. So much for Richards revenge. At least he'd be coming soon._

_Two months later, and Richard still wasn't with me. I started getting scared, and frustrated, and angry at myself, and Richard. And all of a sudden, I realized the connection between Robin and Richard._

_They were all in the same._

_Which meant Richard-A.K.A. Robin-had gotten revenge on Harvey Dent._

_My reaction to this was, surprising. I wished that I had gone with Robin. I wished for my revenge that I could never get. I didn't have my brother with me, my parents, friends, a job, or anything to live for._

_And that was when I turned cold. My heart turned to stone, my feelings pushed to the far back of my mind. That was when I killed someone. I still remember her terrified face, and the knife stabbing into her chest. When her heart stopped beating, I had passed the point of no return._

_A long time later, and I was amazing in martial arts, shooting, tactics, agility, strength, and I was an assassin. I told Robin everything about me being an assassin. Our agreement was: I would tell him about any threats against Batman, and he wouldn't try to arrest me. It was his way to assure his mentor was safe. Also, neither of us would tell anyone about the other. If my bosses knew Robin was my brother, or if his team knew that I was his sister, things could get complicated._

Now, we are both sixteen. He is still a hero. I am still an assassin.


	3. Normal

Chapter 2 of Nightingale

Robin-Normal Day

_I wonder how much longer we'll have to do this. Have to pretend like the other doesn't exist. Have to lie to our friends. Well, she's an assassin, she doesn't have any...But I hate lying to my team like this._

"Boyfriend Robin! Who were you conversing with on your cellular device?" Starfire asked me once I was back in the Living Room.

"Uh...An...old friend..Of mine." I said, sitting down next to her, and putting my arm around her on the couch. It was around eight, and everyone was piled on the sofa, about to watch a movie. Cyborg was just about to press play, when Nightingale called.

"Who?" Beast Boy asked.

"She doesn't like people knowing her name, but she's an old friend from Gotham." I lied. I hated doing it, but they just couldn't know about Cassie. I saw Raven staring at me, obviously knowing that I was lying. Even so, she didn't say anything.

"Hmmm..." Raven turned back to face the TV.

"Alright! Movie Marathon of Galaxy Wars number one- A New Destiny!" He yelled. Beast Boy jumped up and down as the movie started.

...

"Ahhh..That was...Ahh...Wonder-Ahh-full.." StarFire said, in between yawns. It was now one in the morning. Raven had gone to bed after about a minute of the first movie, and Beast Boy and Cyborg were the only ones wide awake. I was dozing off myself.

"Next one!" Beast Boy yelled.

"No, I think I'll go to bed now..." I said, standing up.

"Aww..No fun!" Cyborg yelled.

"Friends..I-Ahh..Think it would be wise for me to go to bed as well...Ahh.." Her and me walked to our rooms, as BB and Cyborg started number three.

"Goodnight boyfriend Robin...Ahh..." She yawned again, and I leaned in to give her a goodnight kiss. It held for a few seconds, and then we pulled apart, and I walked to my bedroom.

The door closed, and I flopped down on my bed, with a grunt.

_I wonder what she's doing right now...Probably not watching Galaxy Wars. Although, she used to like movie nights, I doubt she'd do that now. I wonder how much she's changed. _I closed my eyes. _I can't believe I have to be related to an assassin. If she was a hero, or at least normal, I'd be fine..But she's evil..And, I probably should arrest her-turn her in, because that's what I'm supposed to do...But, then again, she's my sister..All I have left. And, she keeps an eye out for Batman..And, she's all the way in Gotham.. And, she's not exactly easy to hunt down... _I turned over to my side, shutting the lamp off.

_I wonder how many times I've had this conversation with myself. At least a million..._

_Make that a million and one..._And, I dozed off.

...

'Beep!'

'Beep!'

'Beep!'

'Beep!'

'Bee-" I hit the top of my alarm clock, shutting it off. It was five O'clock. I jumped out of bed, and then made it so that a quarter could bounce off it. Perfect.

Then, I got ready, re-gelled my hair, and went to the kitchen to make myself breakfast.

I made bacon and eggs, and had it almost done, when Raven floated into the room.

"Morning."

"Hmm.." She had her cloak up, and was making herself some herbal tea. I could sense that she was still wondering why I had lied the day before. It was better to clear this up now.

"Listen, Raven..About yesterday-" She raised her eyebrow, and squinted her eyes.

"Why did you lie to us?" She asked, calmly.

"I-I..My friend from Gotham...She's important to me. Nobody knows who she is other than me. And, she'd kill me if I told anyone." _literally.._

"Not an old friend?"

"N-No..But, in a way.."

"Hmm.." She picked up her tea, and I got my eggs out of the frying pan. "Alright." She said, and floated back into her room. I smiled, glad that I could tell her..somewhat of the truth.

"ROBIN?! WHY ARE YOU EATING THAT?!" BB screeched, running over to me. He pointed at the bacon, and I shrugged, walking over to the table.

"Because, grass stain, Robin and all the rest of us LOVE MEAT!" Cyborg walked into the kitchen, and took out some more bacon from the fridge, making a ton for himself.

"Murderer!" Beast Boy yelled, pretending to faint. My thoughts immediately turned to Cassie.

"OI! I _LOVE_ MY BACON!" Cyborg teased. _I wonder what Cassie eats for breakfast. _I listened to Cyborg and Beast Boy argue about whether killing a pig was murder or not, while eating my breakfast.

"Friends Beast Boy and Cyborg! Please do not quarrel in these early hours!" Starfire came out of her room, and stepped in between them, separating them. They backed off to their meals, and when they were finished preparing them, sat down next to me.

"Morning boyfriend Robin."

"Morning Star." I leaned in and gave her a morning kiss.

"Eyck! Don't be so mushy this early in the morning!" Beast Boy yelled. Cyborg whistled him on. We separated, and she hurried to make her breakfast, sitting next to Cyborg.

Raven came out too, with an empty mug. She placed it in the overfilled sink.

"Whose turn is it to do the dishes?" Raven asked. We all glared at Beast Boy.

"Awww...Alright! I'll do it after breakfast!" He took tiny bites of his food, very slowly, dreading the task. "Hey, Cy, I'll race you for it in Racers 3!" Cyborg shook his head.

"We both know how great you are at that!" He stood up, taking his empty plate over to the sink, and setting in on top of the tower of plates. All of a sudden, it toppled, sending the plates hurtling to the floor. Yet, there was no crashing sound. A black energy field stopped he plates in mid-air. Raven kinetically placed the dishes on the counter, in smaller piles.

"Thanks Raven." Cyborg said. Raven said nothing, and went back into her room.

...

Later, we received a call that Plasmas was attacking the city, so we took care of that. We went out for pizza like we usually did after a victory, and went back to the T Tower.

A normal day, I'd call it.

I set my phone on my dresser, and went to bed.


	4. Red

Chapter 3 of Nightingale

Nightingale-Red Morning

I watch the sun rise, like I usually do. It's red, which if I remember correctly, means that it will be a bad, stormy day. However, there are no clouds in the sky, and I'm not one to trust sayings. I didn't sleep much. Only a few hours. I'm just that kind of person. I couldn't sleep ten hours if my life depended on it. Robin and me have that in common.

I turn around on the balcony, and walk back into my apartment. It's definitely much different than my old one, back in Jump City. I was annoyingly poor back then. I can support myself much better now.

With my usual intake, I can afford this very nice place. But, I am out of a job currently, so I need to find employment before this money runs out.

Fun...

I think back to a friend of my last boss...Will Mavins...He had many people across the city working for him as well. If I could work for him...then I'd be good off.

I put on my shades, and head out with black sweatpants, a grey tank top, black sneakers and black biker gloves on. I grab my black hoodie before I leave. I pull the hood over my head, as I exit the complex, and head to the gym on my black motor cycle.

...

The gym is empty, because it's a weekday, and I like it that way. I take off my hoodie, and my sweatpants revealing my shorts and tank top. I pull my hair up into a pony tail, and go over to the punching bags. I pull off my gloves, and starting beating the crap out of the bag.

After, I move on to weights, and then a treadmill. I push myself to run extremely fast, and improve my time by 30 seconds.

Suddenly, a boy a few years older than me, probably a senior, walks in, with a preppy looking girl.

"So, ya, Football is definitely the best sport." He says to the girl.

"Cool! I want to see you work out!" He nods. "Okay, Chad! Go get 'em!" She cheers. I roll my eyes, and he sprints over to the weights, and starts on something quite low, but impressive. Just as I'm thinking he'll pick it up with ease, he struggles to lift it above his head. The prep cheers him on, thinking the weight is super heavy, when in reality, it's very light...for me. I smirk to myself. He lifts it above his head a few minutes later, and drops it down.

She squeals with joy.

"Chad! You were amazing!" She smiles, flirty.

"You think? Alright then, watch me on the treadmill!" He walks over to the line of empty treadmills, and instead of choosing one of them, he walks over to mine.

"Your on my treadmill. Get off." I stop sprinting for a second, and power the treadmill down.

_Oh. He. Fucking. Didn't. _I raise a brow at him. But, instead of arguing, I simply get off, and head over to the weights, thinking of a much better way to get back at him. He smirks behind me. I head over to the heaviest weight.

"A girl like you couldn't pick that up!" He snickers. The prep laughs. I smirk.

I get a good grip on it, take in a deep breath, and start pulling the weight up, and up, and up. He's astonished, and she's saucer eyed.

Then, I chuck the weight a few feet ahead, on the padded floor. Then I turn to him, and see that he is getting red in the face.

"You bitch!" He yells, and his prep laughs at him, and then grabs her cellphone, and texts as she walks out of the gym, obviously ditching him. I shrug, and smirk. He storms out of the place after her. After he leaves, I start chuckling to myself. After a few more hours of working out, more annoying seniors come in, and I notice it's 3:30.

I pick up my stuff, and head out.

When I arrive home, I shower to get rid of all the sweat, and then put on fresh clothes. I do my hair in a braid down my back, and pull on my leather jacket.

Then, I sit down on my computer chair, and power up my laptop. I bring up the internet, and search information on Will Mavins...

...

579 Greg St. is where Mr. Mavins lives. The neighborhood looks straight scary, with the sounds of fighting dogs, a scream here and there, and crying children. But, right in this huge building, lives Mr. Mavins. It doesn't look run down at all, it looks well kept, and highly professional. It makes since why he would choose to put his house in a ghetto. Who would want to come bother him here?

It's late- about 9:00, and so, I expect he'll be awake, maybe talking to his clients, and assassins. I move to open the door, as a tall man pushes it open from the inside. I jump back, to keep from being hit by the door, and he moves quickly down the street, not noticing me at all. I'm wearing my assassin outfit, and my mask, so I'm not _very_ noticeable, but the street lights are on, and anyone could see me right now.

_What was that about?_ I open the door again, and slowly enter. It looks like a lobby inside, and a lady sits at the front desk, looking like she belongs in a bar, much less a lobby.

"Get lost, kid." She says, motioning me away with her nail file. Her hair is red, and poofy, and she is wearing a tight short skirt, with an even tighter top, showing off a little too much chest. Her nails are red, and perfect, and she wears high heels. Her face is covered with make-up, and her skin is very tan.

"I need to speak with Mr. Mavins." I say, paying no attention to her last line.

"I said, 'Get. Lost!'" She stands, annoyed. I smile, narrowing my eyes, and pull my gun from my jacket. I hold it, aiming for her forehead.

"I said, 'I need to speak with Mr. Mavins.'" I say, scary calm. She whimpers, to my satisfaction, and presses a blue button on the telephone.

"M-Mr. M-Mavins? There's s-someone here to see you..A name, M-Miss?" She says. I smirk, happy to be feared, and lower my gun slightly, aiming instead for her throat.

"Nightingale."

"N-Nighting-gale..." She says. She lets it go, and after a few seconds, there's an answer.

"Send her up." The man's voice is clear, and deep, with some definite self-pride behind his tone. I lower the gun completely, and put it back inside the hidden flap in my jacket.

I turn towards some stairs, and point to them. She just nods, and sits back down on her chair, fearfully. When I start climbing, my ears pick up her saying, "I'm really not cut out for this job.." and I swallow down my laughter.

At the top is a long hallway, with two doors on each side, and at the end, is a door as well. The end one says, Mr. Mavins, so I head right in.

Inside, it's dark, with only a few, small, dimmed lights on the walls.

"So, you're the famous Nightingale." A man says, sitting at a high quality desk, dressed in a dark blue suit. He is black, and has no hair. He isn't fat, but not too skinny. He is a little buff. He nods for me to sit down, and so I do.

"Yes. I'm hoping you're Will Mavins." I say. He nods, and squints at me.

"Now that we know each other, why are you here?"

"For a job, as an assassin." I say, trying to sound tough. It works, I can tell.

"Hmmm..Well, you are one of the best, my friend tells me."

"I am."

"...Then why did you quit working for him, may I ask?"

"We...came to some disagreements." I say, not wanting to delve into that category at all.

"Yes, and what exactly was that?"

"Just-" Suddenly, I get the feeling that someone is there. Someone who doesn't want to be seen. My eyes flash to the right and left, and then I fully jump out of my chair, to look behind me.

"Who's here?!"

"Now, please understand, that I'm not about to hire an assassin who won't jump to kill Batman as soon as she finds out who he is. It raises too many questions, and though you might be the best, it's safe to assume that you might be also working for some _hero_." He chuckles, as three cloaked figures come out of the dark, "_And_ it would be _wise_ to get rid of you _now_!" He full on laughs, and the assassins draw out their knifes, one having a pair of numchucks.

I draw my gun and my biggest knife, concealed in my boot, and they start to attack.

The first one comes at me with a knife, and by the looks of it, it's a ninjato. He slashes the knife left and right, trying to cut me up, and I keep dodging and blocking the blows with my own knife. Mine isn't that big, but I fare well. I grab another knife from my pocket, and let my gun drop to the ground. Once I see an opening, I send my new, smaller knife into his chest, and he bends over in pain.

The second one has a much thicker knife. By the looks of the assassin, I think the second one is a she. She jumps, trying to come down in one swift motion, but I hold up my knife, and as she's coming down, I stab up. Her knife comes into my arm, right under my shoulder. Not very deep, but I still groan in pain.

The third one has the numchucks, and in this condition, I would fare much better with my gun. I lunge for it, rolling on the ground as he kicks it away.

"You won't survive me like you did with those others, little girl." I grit my teeth, and dodge his oncoming attacks with the numchucks. A few times, it comes against my jeans, and once across my stomach. I get slower. I reach into my boot for my third knife, and get a hold on the handle. Quickly, I pull it out, and throw it at him. At the last second, he dodges, and it sticks to the wall.

"I'm sixteen!" I yell, trying to get to it. He blocks my path, again with the numchucks swinging. Thinking that I should probably flee before I get seriously injured, or even worse, dead, I lunge instead for the window, and fall out.

I grab my grappling hook from my belt, and toss it to the side of the nearest building. Once I'm over there, I catch my breath, and put my hand on my aching shoulder. I look over to building I just came from.

_I can't believe I so easily walked into that trap! _I scold myself. _And, I should have put up a better fight than that. I only got two of them!_

...

Once home, I shower again, and watch the blood from my wounds drain and mix with the water. After, I bandage them up, and resting my head on my pillow, I fall asleep immediately.


	5. Strange 'and' Lost

Chapter 3 1/2 of Nightingale

Nightingale -Strange Circumstances

I wake up, and immediately feel my arm where the cut is. I groan in pain. I stand up, and walk into the bathroom shower, turning on the hot water. I turn towards the mirror, silently, as yesterday comes flooding back.

_I'm so weak. I couldn't even get the last one! _I scowl at myself. _And...I had to flee. I left my gun and my knifes there. They saw me coming. I walked into a trap. Bad. Bad. BAD. BAD! BAD! _I let out a frustrated sound, and climb into the shower. As the warm water hits me, my anger flows off.

I come out, and rebandage the cuts. I put on black jeans and boots, a dark red tank top, and my black leather jacket. I put on dark shades. I pull my hair into a pony tail, and walk into the living room.

I do random things all day, however, I stay inside my apartment. I watch TV, read a little, and by the time my "Rest Day" is over, I've accomplished nothing.

And so, I tell myself to look up assassin bosses just to get _something_ done.

I sit down at my computer, and search up other cities with assassin bosses.

Star City has one, but his assassin group is all male. The name is Henry Dorage.

Gotham has three more, but I realize I can't stay here. Who knows how many more "friends" my old boss has.

Steel City...no, I had a boss there already...It's clean anyways- he was the only assassin boss in the city, because of the Titans there.

I see Jump City. My heart skips a beat, thinking about being an assassin in the same city where my brother works as a Titan. That would be bad, if they ever got a call about my work, and tracked me down. Even so, I click on Jump City's link.

_Just out of curiosity...That's all.._

Just as my eyes roll over the name, my apartment's door and windows come crashing down, and several black figures come racing in, carrying knifes.

I hardly have time to recover from my shock untill I'm forced to fight back, dodging knifes here and there, and avoiding blows. I take down two of the assassins when the one from yesterday comes in with numchucks.

"Well, hello little hero girl! It's nice to see you again."

"Shut it, I'm not a hero!" I yell, kicking another in the face, sending them backwards.

Three down, five to go.

I grab my knifes from my boot, and start slashing and stabbing my foes. I get the earlier ones who were down. Then, I feel a sharp pain from my back. A numchuck just hit me. I flip backwards over his head, and lunge my knife at his back. He steps to the side, and high kicks the knife out of my hand. Another assassin comes from in front of my, aiming a knife for my chest. I kick her in the gut, sending her flying backwards, into another.

Now, it's just me and number three.

"I'm an assassin. Not a hero." I state.

"Hmmm...I don't really believe you, little one." He smirks, and starts flipping the numchucks every which way. I dodge them again and again. But, I'm getting sick of his game. I kick his legs out from under him, and he falls. Gabbing the numchucks from him, I circle it around his throat, and kneel on top of him.

"Belive this!" I take a knife and go right for his heart. He kicks me out from under him, and I'm sent back. One of my hands still has a numchuck, but he's out of the choak hold.

"You play rough, for a hero." He smiles, knowing I hate it. Hate being compared to a hero, and more importantly, Robin.

"Don't-...You won't stop no matter what I say. Why do you think that?" I ask, seriously, standing far away from him. He slants his head to the left, considering this.

"Little Girl, why else would you not kill the Bat?" He asks.

"I...My...If I kill Batman, someone would hate me forever. Someone important to me."

"Who?" He asks, looking quite interested.

"My...twin..." I say, deciding that I can't let him leave this building alive, but I might as well tell him before I kill him.

"They do not want the Bat dead? That is strange, little girl." He sighs, "But-" Before he can finish, I throw my knife at him, hitting his heart straight on. He falls to his knees.

"Stranger than _you_ will ever know." I say, dramatically, and run upstairs. I stuff my clothes into a big bag, and my wallet, phone, and several guns and knifes into another.

As I'm coming downstairs, I see another black clothed assassin grab my laptop, and jump off the balcony.

"No!" I yell. The computer page was still on the assassin bosses for Jump City. I was about to head there, and now, I won't get a job. My old boss will tell the bosses there that I'm a hero.

God, I hate being blackballed..

Sighing, I take my phone out of my bag, and start to call someone.

* * *

**I'm putting two chapters together, because they are too short on their own...**

* * *

Chapter 4 of Nightingale

Robin-Lost Things

It's pretty normal again, though today it was Overload and Cinderblock attacking the city. I immediately thought the attacks were the work of Slade. However, just as quickly, my team argued that my obsessive side was kicking in again. And so, for the time being, I drop the matter to go save the city.

"Beast Boy and Raven get Overload! Starfire, Cyborg, and I will deal with Cinderblock. Titans Go!" Everyone went off exactly as I had directed. I really love being the leader.

...

Starfire shoots starbolts at Cinderblock. He screams in anger, and tries to smack her through the air. She dodges all of them, except the last one.

"Starfire!" I yell as she's hurtled towards a tree. I run for Cinderblock as Cyborg makes sure Star is okay.

I throw bird-a-rangs at him, and they explode near his face. He's sent backwards. Then, I run around his feet, tangling his legs in the rope of my grappling hook. He takes a step forward, and then falls to the ground with a thud. But, he's still not defeated.

"Cy!" I yell. He turns around, aiming his sonic cannon.

"I'm already on it!" The cannon shoots, and Cinderblock is left defeated. "BOO-YA!" He yells. We all get together, and Starfire has come back to conciousness.

"Star, are you okay?" I ask. She nods, and stands up.

"Did we kick the but?" She asks in her sweet, innocent voice.

"Ya, we did!" Cyborg yells out.

"Joyous!" Starfire smiles, and gets to her feet.

"I need to call Raven and BB." I say, flipping out my communicator.

"Hey, how are things over there?" I ask.

"We totally CREAMED Overload!" Beast Boy yells.

"Oh yeah!" Cyborg yells, right behind me.

"Did...Slade show up?" I ask.

"Duuuuude! Chill out! You obsessive side is kicking in again!"

"That is my joke grass stain!"

"Mine now!" Beast Boy laughs in that annoying way of his. Raven stands behind him. Her hood is up, like usual.

"Let's go." She says, flying away.

"Raven! Hey, wait for me!" He yells, then says to the communicator quickly, "We'll see you guys back at the tower!" Then, the screen is blank.

...

_The attacks have to be the work of Slade. That's the only explanation for three monsters that used to work for him all be attacking the city in under two days. It the only thing that makes sense! I don't know what he's up to, but I'm sure going to find out. _

I'm at a computer, searching up news on Slade...Like always. But, I know there's some clue I've missed. Even though I've checked the internet over a thousand times, I never want to miss something new.

Call it obsession, but I just say I'm trying to catch a villain.

Two hours later and still nothing. I yawn, and look at my phone. I'm wondering if Nightingale will call again soon. She almost never calls, and I have no clue what to talk to her about. I tried to ask her to come visit the tower once, but she refused saying she had "something" to do. I know what she meant though. She had to kill someone that night. I don't understand why she does it though. She could be a great Titan if she'd just stop killing.

I decide to go to bed, at 9:00, when the central computer in the living room sounds, meaning there's something going on. I stuff my phone into my pocket, and run into the living room. Sure enough, it's Slade. I'm almost happy, since we haven't had a lead in a while.

"Slade." I say, in a menacing voice. He tried to make me his apprentice once, and then a girl named Terra. Now, she's trapped in a rock. I always wonder if Slade still wants an apprentice. I can't believe someone like him would give up so easily.

"Dude! Maybe you were right!" BB yells to me.

_Of course I was right.._ The other Titans pile into the living room.

"He's in Warehouse 26 at the docks. Titans Go!"

...

At Warehouse 26, we are so nicely greeted by a huge group of Slade-bots. Star shoots starbolts at them. Beast Boy attacks them as a Tee-Rex. Raven lifts metal and throws it with her mind. Cyborg shoots at them with his sonic cannon, and I use martial arts. As most of the sladebots are killed off, I see Slade in the corner back away into a secret passage.

"Stop!" I start running after him, and into the passage. It closes behind me.

.

Slade-Lost Things

Robin walks into the passage, and the door closes behind him. He sees my look-alike robot ahead of him, and chases after "me". He's not exactly the smartest one, taking on even my look-alike by himself. He must really like walking into traps.

Myself starts attacking Robin, and "we" fight for a while. Then, he pulls out his bow-staff, his weapon of choice, and I pull out one as well, though mine is made of harder steel, and is sharpened at one end.

We fight for a while, myself getting in more blows. Cuts and scrapes for across his uniform, and something falls out of his pocket when it's cut open. He hardly notices it fall, as he's too busy fighting. I don't care either, and just hope myself will knock Robin out soon, so I can kidnap him. After that, I will replace his suit with one much like Terra's but stronger nuro-control. He'll finnaly be the perfect apprentice.

Blow after blow, and Robin still hasn't been knocked out. I'm considering finishing him myself when the Titans blow open the door to the secret passage, and the alein starts blasting myself with Starbolts. "I" run away, and Robin is thinking about following me, but the Titans argue not to. He agrees with them, and leaves.

After they leave, I stand up, angry. The Titans always ruin my brilliant plans. I walk over to the blown up entrance, and start to leave when I spot what Robin lost. It's a cell-phone, probably his.

I walk over, and am just about to crush it with my boot, in anger, when it starts ringing.

'Ring'

'Ring'

'Ring'

'Ring'

'Ring'

'Ring..This is Robin, leave a message at the tone, and i'll get back to you. beep.

"Hey, Robin. This is N. I need somewhere to stay, because my old boss's assassins are after me...And he's got his friends' assassins hunting me down as well. So, I need to stay at your tower for a few days, until I'm up on my feet again. I really hope you understand...I'll be coming tomorrow morning." beep.'

"..."

"..."

"...Who is this 'N'?"


	6. Annoying

Chapter 5 of Nightingale

Nightingale-Annoying Smiles

_I don't want to see him. I don't want to meet his pathetic friends. I don't want to stay here. I don't want to be blackballed. I DON'T WANT TO DO THIS!_ I stood at the door to the tower. There was a door bell. _I really don't want to ring that... _I had to though.

I pulled my bags higher on my shoulders, to get my hands free. I'm wearing my normal outfit, with my black sunglasses, and my hair down. My leather jacket, black boots, and skinny jeans let me feel hidden in the dark. But, right now I feel as though you could spot me a mile away. The motorcycle ride took all night, and I briefly stopped at a motel for a few hours shuteye.

It's eleven twenty-three. I know because I just checked my phone for the third time. I did that three minutes ago. I've been standing here for about seven.

And, I've been stalling horribly. I crack my knuckles, dreading everything that is to come. I bite the inside of my mouth lightly, as I put my finger up higher and higher.

It's hovering right next to the door bell. I move it closer, so my finger's touching it.

Then, I put on my brave face, and push it. I take in a deep breath.

"Coming!" I hear a girl's voice from inside. I quickly weigh my option of fleeing.

As soon as I've made up my mind to escape, the door flies open. I turn slightly to see her. She's tallish, with orange skin, and red, long hair. Her eyes are bright green, and her smile is perfectly irritating. She looks like the complete opposite of character.

"How can I help you?" She smiles, putting her hands behind her back. It's all that I can do to stop myself from laughing at her sense of trust in me.

"Didn't Robin tell you I was coming?" I ask, some of my disdain pulled into the words. She doesn't even pick up on it.

"No...Who are you?" She asks, again with that smile that I wish I could punch out.

"An old friend from Gotham." She studies me closely, perhaps wondering about me, when another pair of footsteps come from down the hall.

"Hey Star who is it?!" A young, squeaky voice asks. It's male. He comes down the hall, and my head pulls back slightly in surprise.

He's short, and green. Like, everywhere. His hair is green, his eyes are green, his skin is green!

"Robin's friend from Gotham." she says, turning to him. He studies me as well, and smiles.

_Why is everybody so cheerful around here?! _

"ROBIN! YOUR FRIEND'S HERE!" He suddenly yells. A few seconds later, Robin starts walking towards the door.

"What friend-" He stops, suddenly, and I am SO ready to make a run for it. Do anything to escape this awkward situation. He looks the same as when I saw him in a newspaper from Jump. His hair is spiked, and he wears the same domino mask that I do for assassination jobs.

"Hey." I try to clear the fog of awkwardness with that one word, but it only makes an unsuccessful slash.

"H-Hi."

"It's been a while since I've seen you, Robin." I say.

"Ya, I-It has." He motions for me to come in, so I do. The living room is huge, and so high tech. I don't comment on it, however, but I do notice the Robot man sitting on the couch.

"Who's this?" The robot man is very tall, and is half-human half-machine. His skin is brown, and he is watching TV. Robin turns to me, not knowing what to call me. Quickly, I try to come up with an alias.

_Names names names...Hmmm...How about Meg! No, that sounds to short...Malissa! Too freakin' long! Lissa...Alissa! There was that Alissa woman that I had to kill a year back. I remember her. She was short and fat with red curly hair that bounced too happily. She annoyed me so much, I ended up stabbing her to death instead of using a gun. Just because I didn't like her._

"Alissa." I say, monotony. He smiles.

_Yep. His friends are over enthusiastic. I mean HE JUST MET ME! Why is he smiling?!_

"Well, Hello Alissa!" He says, standing up and putting out a metal hand. I stare at it. I don't like being touched, but if I don't take his hand, It'll seem strange. Finally, I shake it. He has a strong handshake.

"Not to be rude Ni- I mean Alissa," Robin almost exposes my identity, "But _why _are you here? I thought you said you weren't visiting." This makes me spin around to face him. I thought he had gotten my phone call.

"I called you. Yesterday night." I say. His eyes raise.

"I lost my phone yesterday night." I cross my arms.

"_Really?"_

"I'm not lying!" Robin takes a step towards me. I really wish I could see his eyes. I would know then if he was lying.

"_Oh_..." I say sarcastically.

"I'm serious." He crosses his arms as well. This feels exactly like one of those sister-brother fights we used to have so long ago. I'm about to tell him what the message said when I notice his team staring at us. He wouldn't want them to know.

"Can we have a minute?" I look at them. They shrug, and go down the hall into other rooms. Once they're gone, I turn back to Robin. "Richard. The message said that I was being hunted down by other assassins and I would need to stay here for a few days."

"What do you mean 'hunted'?!" He almost shouts it out.

"Can you be any louder?" I ask, annoyed.

"Ugh! You're so stupid! Now some people are coming after you! They'll find you for sure!" He walks back and forth, trying to figure out a solution.

"Don't be annoying. They won't track me to this new alias." He stops, and turns to me.

"How can you be so calm!?"

"I'm an assassin. I have to be calm." I smirk. He hates when I address what I really am.

"Don't say that here!" He half whispers. I just smirk wider.

"So how about it Robin? Can I stay?" He doesn't answer, just stares at me. Then, he finally sighs.

"Alright. But, you have to keep your identity secret. You can't kill anyone in my city. You have to be nice-" I start laughing loudly. He snaps back at me,"NICE. Don't you know what that means?!"

"Of course! I just haven't tried it in a while!" This remark starts even more laughter from me.

"Come on, Cassie, be serious. You have to be nice to my team. And one more thing."

"What?" I snap back. He is the last person I want telling me what to do.

"You have to pretend that you're a hero from Gotham." This makes me lose the smirk completely.

"I have to WHAT?! I can't do that! What do I have to save people too?!"

"When there's trouble, you have to help out."

"ARE. YOU. FUCKING. KIDDING. ME?!"

"Hey, don't swear!"(**A.N. this is a kid's show! XD**) "And no, I'm not kidding."

"That's just- And- Ugh.." I take in a deep breath, calming myself down.

_I am a guest here. And, as his guest, I have to follow his annoying, stupid, pathetic, lame, idiotic- this isn't helping! Just follow the rules, Nightingale, and you'll be gone in no time._

"Okay. I'll pretend to be a hero." I say, calmed down. He smiles.

"Then, you should meet the team." He says. "Guys! You can come back now!" They reluctantly come back in, wondering what just took place. But, no way in hell was I telling them. He looks over the three, and notices something. "Where's Raven?"

"She is doing the meditating on the roof." The orange girl answers.

"I don't know why she does that so much!" The green boy commented.

"Well, I want all of you to hear this so-"

"Ya, ya. I'll go up and get her." A few seconds later, he's gone.

"I've never met one of Robin's old friends before!" The robot-man says to me.

_Be nice. Be NICE...How do I do that again?_

"Well, I've never met a robot-man before." I say back. Truly, there's an insult behind it, but he can't see it.

"I'm one of a kind! The name's Cyborg." He says, smiling. I'm not going to even mention how much I hate that. Smirking is WAY different than smiling. I smirk all the time, but I never really SMILE. I'm praying these people don't make me change or something.

"Hm...Nice..." I'm trying to think of the rest of the expression. ,"to...Meet you." He raises an eyebrow at my delayed response, but shrugs it off. A cloaked figure comes flying into the room with the green boy at her side.

For a moment I think it's an assassin, until Robin says,"Hey Raven." I calm myself down. She nods.

"Okay! Now that you're all here," He pushes me forward, "This is my friend from Gotham." I nod to the group. He points out the green boy,"That's Beast Boy," Then the orange girl, "Starfire," then Cyborg," You already know him," and then the cloaked figure, "And that's Raven."

"Hey, I'm Alissa." The orange girl, Starfire, runs up to me, holding her arms out. I have no clue what she's doing, but I flip over her head, and land behind her.

"Huh? I was just trying to give you the 'hug'!" She smiles, and reaches out for me again. I take a step back.

"I don't like being touched." I say. Robin glares at me, but I shrug it off. A handshake is OK, but a full-out hug? That's too much.

"Well, any friend that is of Robin is a friend of mine!" She smiles, brightly. God, I really want to kill this chick. I nod at her.

"Anyways," Robin starts back in, "Alissa is staying here for a few days." The Titans' eyes go big, wondering why.

"Ya, I kinda need a place to stay until I get back on my feet." I try to smile, but it doesn't really work. It just forms into a weird look. I stop immediately.

"That's awesome!" Beast Boy jumps into the air, "Another person to play video games with me and Cy!" This stops me again. I'm definitely not playing some stupid games on the game thingy or whatever it's called.

"No. I don't play games." I say. He goes into a shocked face, and Cyborg follows.

"Than you will join me in the activity of Cooking?!" Starfire's face lights up.

"No, I don't like cooking."

"What _do_ you do?" Cyborg asks with a wondering expression.

"I work out. A lot."

"Sounds exactly like Robin." Beast Boy says. It was probably a joke, but I don't like being compared with him.

"I read as well." I say, to contradict his last statement. This perks up the attention of Raven, as she looks up from under her hood.

"So, you're both Raven and Robin...Hmmm...A RAEBIN!" Beast Boy laughs at his stupid joke. Raven smacks his head. "Owww!" He rubs the bump left behind.

_This is going to be a LONG few days._


	7. Ace

Chapter 6 of Nightingale

Robin-Ace the Hero

I couldn't believe she was here. I couldn't believe she had assassins after her. I couldn't believe she was capable of messing up. I couldn't believe that my team had met her.

However, the facts laid themselves out, and I was faced with an unbelievable reality.

She was here, she was in danger, she messed up, and she had met the Titans. _Wow. How did _that_ happen?_

Nobody was in the living room except me. Starfire was out shopping, Raven was in her room, and Beast Boy and Cyborg were on the roof doing something stupid. I wondered where Nightingale was exactly when she walked in.

"Hey." I said, sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hi." She said.

She sat down on the couch, laying her legs out. She crossed them, and put her book up. I glanced at the title. "Goriest Murders in our Country's History" was what it said. I watched her for a few minutes, horrified when she started giggling at something in the book.

"What's funny?" I asked. She stopped, and smirked at me, putting her book on to her lap, yet holding the page with a finger.

"Harrison just ran at the murderer," She stopped to let out a giggle, "Who was holding the butcher knife out towards him. He ran right into the blade!" She started laughing again,"God, he's an idiot." She smirked, going back to her book.

A few minutes later, Beast Boy and Cyborg ran in, and jumped right down onto the couch.

"Video game time!" Cyborg bellowed. Nightingale slightly looked up from her book.

"Ya!" Beast Boy followed. He put in "Monster Mania 2", and they started playing like crazy. The volume was turned way up, and I could see Nightingale start to get angry.

"Guys, you should turn it down." I said, quickly. Nightingale just got more angry.

"But this is the good part!" Beast Boy said, simultaneously shooting lasers at a squid monster. It exploded, and a huge "BOOM" was heard from the stereo.

"AH!" Nightingale jumped up, "DO YOU NOT SEE ME READING HERE?!" I jumped up as well, very certain that she was going to kill them.

"Hey!" I yelled. She turned towards me, narrowing her eyes. "Don't." I mouthed to her.

"Whatever." She turned, angrily, and ran away with her book. Even though she was angry at me for stopping her, I was just happy that I had spared some semi-innocent blood.

I looked over at BB and Cyborg, who were very surprised of what she did.

"Is Alissa mad at us?" Beast Boy asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Probably." I said, heading into my room to do some work.

* * *

Nightingale-Ace the Hero

"Irritating..Little..Emotional..IDIOT!" I kick and punch the punching bag, trying to get my anger out.

_I don't want to be here! I fucking hate that bastard! Why did he defend his pointless friends when THEY were at fault?! UGH!_

"What's wrong, friend Alissa?" I turn around, surprised.

_Oh shit, it's Starfire._

_"_Nothing." I turn back to the punching bag, catching my breath.

"Are you sure? Who were you yelling at earlier?" She floats closer to me, trying to comfort me. I hate that.

"Nobody!" I snarl back.

"Alissa..." She floats out of the room, sniffling, and starting to cry. I'm just glad to have her gone.

I get back to my work out.

...

"Alissa!" Robin's in the room now, treading over to me. I'm lifting weights.

"Do...you...need..something?" I say, panting.

"Yes! I need to talk to you."

"Now?" I do another lift.

"Right Now." He crosses his arms. I push the weight off me, and catch my breath. I sit up, wiping my sweat off with a towel. I start downing some water, and when I'm done, I set it down.

"Shoot."

"You were about to kill Beast Boy and Cyborg, and you made Starfire cry. Your acting mean to everybody except Raven, and I'm guessing it's just because she hasn't talked to you yet."

"Hey, Hey! Beast Boy and Cyborg were bothering me, and Starfire was prying!"

"That's how they usually act! And Starfire...was just trying to help."

"I don't need her help, Robin." I narrowed my eyes. He did too. I crossed my arms, and stood up.

"That doesn't give you the right to act mean. Do you want to stay here or not?" He asks. I'm caught off guard. I breath out slowly, and grit my teeth.

"I do. But-"

"The only way your going to stay here is to act like a hero from Gotham. So far, you're not."

"Why do I have to act like a hero? It doesn't even make sense!"

"You have to act like a hero because it's the only thing they could understand and not be suspicious. Unless you want them to know that some assassins are after you. Which would only lead to them wondering about that."

"And then they would know about us."

"Exactly. So hero it is."

"Okay, Okay. I'll play your game of pretend." I giggle in spite of myself, "I'm guessing a hero doesn't wear leather jackets and shades."

"Well, it's fine-"

"No, I have something." I walk away.

When I get to the guest room, which is now my room, I close the door behind me, and go to the closet.

Far in the back, behind many pieces of black clothing, is my assassin outfit. I pull it out.

I remove my clothes, and pull on the jumpsuit. I pull on my combat boots. I quickly remove my shades, and hurriedly put on my domino mask. I pull on my gloves.

I put my hair down, and look into the mirror.

This will work, but the "N" symbol is a huge giveaway.

"Hmmm..Alissa..A..." I get an idea.

I pull on my leather jacket, for the time being, and run across the hall and up some stairs. I end up at the medical room.

I look around, trying to find needles and thread that would be used for stitches. I open cabinet after cabinet, and finally spot them. I take a pair of shears as well, and hurriedly sprint back to my room. Just before I get there, I see a hooded figure.

"Raven." I say.

"Hello." She replies. I can't even see her expression, because it's hidden.

"What are you doing?" I ask. She puts up her book.

"I'm going to my room." I nod, backing away towards mine.

"What are _you_ doing? She asks, looking at the things in my hands.

"Um..stitching." I say. She lets out a "hmm" sound, and floats back to her room.

_Finally, someone normal._

When I get into my room, I take off my outfit, and lay it on the bed.

I unstich the last mark to the right on the "N" so it looks like a "^". Then, I stitch in between the remaining two marks, making an "A"

I put my outfit back on, and admire my sowing work. Instead of my blue "N", the symbol is a white "A".

It contrasts against the black of the costume, but I like it.

"Now I'm...Alissa? No, not a hero name..." I close my eyes, thinking hard on a hero name that starts with A.

"I have absolutely no clue." I say to myself. I look around my room. It's pretty nice, for a guest room. There's a TV, and a nightstand. There's a pretty lamp, a dresser, a closet, and a laptop..

I get up from my bed, and walk over to the laptop sitting at the desk. I pull up the top, and turn it on.

The background is a view of the Tower, and there's not many shortcuts on the main screen.

Only Internet, Recycle Bin, Paint, and Solitaire Online...

I'm bored, so I bring up Solitaire. The cards are laid out, and I start piling them up. Then, one catches my eye.

I can't believe I never thought of it. I jump up, running over to the mirror.

I smirk at my smart self.

"Hello, Ace." I say. It's absolutely perfect. A great hero name. I run out of my room to the living room, not even bothering to shut down the laptop.

"Robin!" I yell. Everyone except Raven is in the living room. Starfire's cooking, and Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Robin are watching TV. Everyone turns to face me.

"Ya?" He asks.

"Alissa?" Beast Boy asks, "You look different.."

"Grass Stain, she's wearing different clothes." Cyborg says.

"Why are you wearing a mask?" Beast Boy asks. I remember then that Robin nor I told them I was a hero.

"Some heroes wear masks." I state, matter-of-factly.

"You're a hero?!" Cyborg asks.

"Ya, Robin never told you? In Gotham, I'm called, 'Ace'." I say, showing off my new name.

"That's so cool!" Beast Boy laughs. I smirk.

"So, friend Ace, are you a titan?"

"She's honorary." Robin answers for me.

"I do not recall us meeting her." Starfire says. I can tell she doesn't like me. That's good.

"You guys never did. She was an old friend from Gotham, so I gave her a communicator when I met up with her that one time I went there." He lied.

"Okay." She turns back to the stove. Something pink and orange burbles in a pot. I go to sit next to Beast Boy and Cyborg on the couch.

"Hey, Ace." Beast Boy whispers to me.

"Hm?" I answer. I'm still annoyed by him.

"Sorry for earlier." Cyborg whispers next to me.

"It's...fine." I say. They smile.

"Now that's settled, how about you join us in playing-" Beast Boy starts.

"MONSTER MANIA 3!" Cyborg yells in excitement.

"No. I don't like video games."

"Wrestling Supreme 2?"

"Nope."

"Super Smash Brothers?"

"Not happening."

"Ugh! All we have left is Rock Band-"

"No."

"-Zombie Hunt 4-"

"NOPE!"

"-and Grand Theft Auto 8."

"Hmm?"

"Grand Theft Auto 8?" Cyborg says back to me.

"Isn't that something you can get arrested for?"

"Well ya, but it's also a game." Beast Boy says.

"Wait, Wait, Wait. So, you're telling me there's a _game _for stealing cars?!" I say.

"Haven't you heard of it before? It's SO popular!" Cyborg says, shocked.

"No, I didn't like video games!" I say, getting a little excited.

"So, you want to play it?"

"Umm..." I can't decide.

"You know you want to!" They smile huge smiles at me. I look over at Robin, who's staring at me. I think he's wondering if I'm actually going to play.

"Just for little bit."

...two hours later...

"Get that guy!"

"I'm TRYING!" I yell. I can shoot perfectly in real life, but in a video game? Hell no..

"OVER THERE!"

"Got it!"

"YA!" Cyborg yells.

"Get in the car!" I yell.

"Wait, I have to get_ that_ guy!" Beast Boy yells.

"THEN GET HIM ALREADY!" I scream.

"ALRIGHT! Go, Go, Go!"

"The cops are after us!" Cyborg yells.

"Obviously!" Beast Boy yells.

"Excuse me, it is the time of the dinner." Starfire's behind me.

"ONE SECOND, I HAVE TO GET PAST THE COPS!"

...a half hour later...

"Okay, let's stop!" I say, "I'm really hungry."

"Duuuuude! You're great!" Beast Boy jumps up.

"We need to play again sometime!" Cyborg adds.

_Who knew video games were so fun? _I turn off the TV. Right before I walk to the dinner table, I notice my reflection in the black screen.

I'm smiling.


	8. Hero

Chapter 7 of Nightingale

Nightingale-Hero Time

_Was that a...DID I JUST...Shit, I think I just smiled! _I quickly went back to frowning. No, I scowled at what I had just done. I gulped loudly, trying to calm myself.

_Did I just...I can't believe I just did that!_

I start walking towards the dinner table, pursing my lips.

"What's wrong, Alissa?" Robin asks. I open my mouth, but just frown again.

"Nothing.." I say, sitting down. Noyone hears it, they're too busy digging in to the two pizzas laying on the table. That's okay though, I didn't want more said about it anyways. I pull a slice out of a box. It's plain cheese. I start eating it, and when I'm done, I don't mind getting another one.

I stand up, quickly heading for my room. As soon as I'm out of sight, I start running for the staircase. I climb up the flights quickly, and accidentally bump into Raven.

"Whoa!" I say, falling. I flip backwards, landing on the flight below. She's wide-eyed, and the book she was reading is crashing down the stairs.

"Sorry." I say, picking her book up. It looks very old, and has no title.

"It's fine.." She mumbles. She flips back to the page.

"What's the book called?" I ask. She turns to me.

"Myths and Legends of Azarath." She says quickly.

"Hmm.." I turn back to my thoughts. She stares at me for a minute before heading downstairs. I walk the rest of the way back to my room.

I close the door behind me, and walk over to the bookcase on the far wall. I pull out my new book, "200 Ways To Kill" and flop down on my bed. I read until eleven, and then close my book. I'm about to turn off the light when I hear a knock on my door.

I get up, and walk swiftly over to the door. I open it, and see that Cyborg and Beast Boy are standing there.

"Hm?" I wonder what they're doing here.

"Well, since you were SO GREAT at GTA 8-" Beast Boy starts.

"-We were wondering if tomorrow you would like to play in the Stank Ball tournament!" Cyborg reveals a ball of dirty laundry from behind his back. Taking in a whiff of the horrible stench, I step a few feet back.

"Uh.. I don't know..."

"Come on Ace! It'll be fun!" Beast Boy says.

"And, the winner will get the leftover slice of pizza!" Cyborg adds.

_Hmm..Tournament, games, pizza, BB and Cy..That sounds like a lot of fun-_

_Oh SHIT._

My eyes widen, and I take in a deep breath. "No, I can't. I have something to do tomorrow." I quickly shut the door. I hear them walking away, and when I can't hear anymore, I lean against the door and fall to the ground.

_You idiot. You CAN'T have any friends. Don't you understand that?! _I stand up, and walk over to my bed. I lay down, and turn so that I'm laying facing the wall. _Assassins and Superheroes are enemies. You're only here until you get back on your feet. Then, you'll be alone again. Exactly how you like it. _I frown, sadly. _Other people are dangerous. They'll betray you._

I close my eyes, drifting off into my thoughts. _You need to protect yourself from hurt. If you don't get close, then you'll never get hurt. _I get deeper into my blankets and let myself relax. I start getting sleepy.

_Never again._

...

'BEEP'

'BEEP'

'BEEP'

'BEEP'

I wake up suddenly to loud beeping followed by my brother's voice saying, "All titans to the living room!" I groan, and roll out of bed. I'm glad I slept in my assassin/new hero outfit. Only my hair is messed up.

I quickly brush through my long, black locks, and then grab a hair-tie. On my way to the living room, I quickly braid my hair. I finish just as I arrive. Everyone's already there.

"Took you long enough." Robin says, with his arms crossed.

"Well, you're the one who woke me up for no reason." I counter.

"I had a reason." He says, grimly. He turns so I have a better view of the monitor. There's a view of the city laid out in map form. Three S's are flashing in three different locations.

"Sladebots are destroying the city in mostly those locations. We need to stop them before they hurt the citizens-"

"Sladebots? What the hell is that?" I ask. He scowls at my swearing. I really don't care.

"Our enemy, Slade, has many robots at his control. They are very intelligent and can use martial arts. We need to stop them." He explains. I nod. "So, Beast Boy and Star to the west side, Ace and Raven to the South, and Cyborg and I-"

"Robin," I say menacingly, "Don't boss me around." Everyone turns to me in shock, their expressions saying, 'Who in the history of the world would go against Robin's orders?!' Well, I would.

"I, am the leader of this team, Ace. I decide who goes where-"

"Well, I say I'm going with you." I counter. He grits his teeth knowing we don't have time to dawdle here.

"Look, we don't have time for this! Go with Raven!" He half yells. I stand my ground. No way is he bossing me around.

"Not. Happening." I say. He clenches his fists, not wanting to give up his authority.

"Fine." He says, annoyed, "Ace with me. Cyborg with Raven. Titans head out!" He says, and I run behind him to the garage. I get on my cool black motorcycle, and he jumps on his stupid one. We use the underwater glass tube to get to the mainland. It's gigantic, and we can easily drive next to each other.

When we arrive to the mainland, he takes the lead, and starts driving to the north side with me in suit. I'm glad I won. I don't want to go with somebody I don't know.

...

We arrive at the North side to see a huge group of robots attacking and destroying property. I'm dreading having to go against a villain, even though these are only robots. I'm still helping the good cause.

"Let's go!" Robin yells, pulling out his Bo-staff, and stabbing a robot in the head. They all go after him, completely ignoring me. Maybe they've been programmed to only hurt the Titans.

_That would be good. _I let him fight for a while, and then see he's getting tired out. I smirk, and charge at a robot. I quickly draw out a huge knife almost the size of a katana, and very thick. I slice the robot's head off with one slash. Suddenly, all the robots charge at me.

* * *

Slade-Hero Time

I watch three monitors. One shows Beast Boy and Starfire, another is Cyborg and Raven, and the last is Robin.

My plan is to split up the Titans. Since Robin is their leader, he would choose to be the one to go alone. After all, they have to take care of all my robots.

I watch as Robin stabs and fights through them with his Bo-staff. His fighting skills are very good, and even though he is not a threat to me, I wish to make him work for me again.

More and more robots pour out of the nearby warehouse to fight him. I can see he is getting tired from the fight. Only a little more and he will be slow enough to be knocked out.

I look around his screen, and notice a dark figure lurking in the shadows.

"What is that...?" I ask out loud. Nobody answers as nobody should. I narrow my eye at this thing, as it comes into the light of a nearby street lamp.

_It_ is actually a _she_. Anyways, she has black hair, and a domino mask exactly like Robin's. If she had short hair, I would've thought she was his twin. However, this is impossible. Robin has no sister. He is the former partner of Batman, and Batgirl was not related to them. So, this new girl looking like Robin has to be just a coincidence.

Definitely.

I watch as she pulls out a very big knife that looks a lot like a katana. She slashes the head off of a robot.

"That wasn't a good idea." I smirk evilly, and type in a new command. All at once, the robots charge at her. My eye widens as she defeats robot after robot with amazing strength, accuracy, and experience with the knife.

I type in a new command, and watch as a robot evades her knife, and then grabs it. The robot pulls it out of her hands, and throws it a ways away.

_Now, how will you fare without a weapon?_

The answer: very very well.

She jumps over a few in a back flip, and starts kicking and punching using amazing martial arts skills.

_Could this possibly be "N"?_

Robin fights alongside the girl. I bet they're allies.

Their fighting styles are very different, so I'm guessing she didn't learn her techniques from Batman like Robin did. He throws her a Bo-staff, and she uses it to launch herself over the group of robots surrounding her.

Still using the Bo-staff, she dodges and attacks the robots without getting even a bit tired. In a few minutes, the ground is covered in metal parts, and Robin is taking out the last robot.

"That it?" She asks him. He doesn't say anything back, just looks around, no doubt for me. He seems almost sad that I didn't bother coming.

The corner of my mouth tilts up. _Miss me little bird? _

He sighs slightly, and opens up his communicator.

"Hey, we destroyed all the Slade-bots here."

"We have also defeated the bots of Slade!" Starfire rejoiced over the communicator.

"Ya! Dude, we did great!" Beast Boy smiled behind Starfire. Robin nodded, and turned the screen to show Raven and Cyborg.

"BooYA!" Cyborg yelled right next to Raven. She took a deep breath in, looking annoyed.

"I'm thinking you guys won?" Robin asks them.

"OH YA! THEY DIDN'T STAND A CHANCE!" Cyborg yells again. Raven pulls her hood up, and nods.

"Great, I'll meet you back at the T-Tower." He says, and shuts it off. He walks over to his R-cycle. She doesn't come along, but stares directly into one of the hidden cameras. "Are you coming?" He asks, impatiently. She points to the camera.

"There. Somebody's been watching us." She starts walking over to the camera. He pauses, and runs over to it. He pulls it right out of it's hiding place.

"How did you see this?" He asks.

"It's not really hard to spot-" She looks over at him, "If you're me." She smirks. He scowls.

"Maybe I can track where it's sending the footage to." He connects some cord to the camera, and then to a device in his arm. Before he can access the GPS location of my hideout, I quickly disconnect from that camera.

I glance above the disconnected camera view, to another one. I can see them, but they're too far away to hear.

I can just hear portions of what they're saying and what their lips say.

"Does this...Happen?" The girl asks. Robin shakes his head.

"I don't...ow. This...first time I...camera." He answers. She walks over to the sidewalk, grabbing a black motorcycle and jumping on.

"Did you...this was...than...assassin?" He asks.

_Assassin? _What_ about an assassin?_

"...Not even close." She answers, and drives away on her motorcycle, with him following.

I don't care about the mission failing. Not about the thousands of dollars I lost with the robots destroyed. Not about the camera being found.

Really, I'm just wondering about this new piece in the game.


	9. Lies

**IMPORTANT!**

**!Just something to remember: 5 reviews = 1 more chapter. SO IF U WANT ME TO UPDATE FASTER, REVIEW MORE, AND TELL UR TEEN TITANS FANFIC BUDDIES ABOUT THIS!**

* * *

Chapter 8 of Nightingale

Nightingale-Lies and Truth

"Does this normally happen? Are there usually cameras?" I ask Robin. He shakes his head.

"I don't know. This is the first time I've seen him use cameras.." He answers. I walk over to my black motorcycle hidden in the dark street. In a second, I'm getting my key.

"Did you think this was better than assassin work?" He asks.

"This is not even close." I answer, and with a roll of my eyes, I ride away.

_Though, I must admit, I didn't _hate _beating up countless robots. _

...

Back at the tower, we celebrate our win by going back to bed. It's only 3:45 AM, and I need a few more hours to be healthy tommorrow-or should I say later today?

However, when I get to my room, I take out my book, "200 Ways to Kill", and continue reading.

"**The Electric Chair-**

**In 1881, NY set out to make a more humane method of execution other than using hanging for every death sentence. Alfred P. Southwick, developed the idea of running electric current through a condemned man after hearing a case of how relatively painlessly and quickly a drunk man died due to touching exposed power lines. As Southwick was a dentist accustomed to performing procedures on subjects in chairs, his electrical device appeared in the form of a chair to restrain the inmate while being electrocuted.**

**The first execution by Electric Chair was William Kemmler, a convicted murderer. At first, it only caused unconsciousness. The attending physicians examined him, and when they found out he was still alive, called out, "Have the current turned on again, quick, no delay."**

**The generator recharged, and then sent 2,000 volts into him. He was dead.**

**George Westinghouse later commented that, 'They would have done better using an axe,' and a witnessing reporter claimed that it was, 'an awful spectacle, far worse than hanging.**'"

I check the clock again, seeing that it's 4:08. The sun's starting to rise. I should probably try to catch a few hours.

_Na, it's too late. I'll catch a little extra sleep tonight. _I put my bookmark in, and walk into the bathroom.

I remove my mask to look into mirror. the My hair's alright, just a few tangles, but I have slight bags under my eyes. I shrug, and peel off the jumpsuit and boots. I turn on the hot water, and climb in the shower.

_I need to stop taking my leisurely time finding a new boss..If I stay here long enough, I might want to become a hero, and I can't do that..No, I WON'T do that. I won't become even a smidge close to what Robin is. I love him because he's my brother, and all I really have left, but as a person...I couldn't hate him more._

_..._

Afterwards, I change into my street clothes, and walk to the laundry room to wash my jumpsuit. Annoyingly, it seems i'm not the only one who likes to do laundry at 5:30 AM.

"Hey Robin." I say, from the doorway. He's surprised, and quickly looks up.

"Hey, I didn't see you there." I walk over to the laundry machine next to his, and start loading in my jumpsuit. Then, I throw in my domino mask. "It's funny, we both have the exact same mask." I half-laugh at this, although, I'm angry he made a comparison.

"Ya. It's a strange coincidence." I reply, starting the machine. I watch as the laundry goes round and round and round and round and-

"Did you sleep?" He asks. I look over at him. He must have noticed my slight groginess.

"Yes." I lie. I don't want him worrying about me like he probably would. He's already emotional enough.

"Really?" He asks, eyes squinting at me.

"_Yes. _Yes I did. How about you?" I answer, slightly annoyed by his nosiness.

"No, I was running through cold cases again." _Wow, I can't believe we _both_ didn't sleep. _Stupid unintentional irony.

"Cold cases? Did you figure any out?" I ask, as he picks up his laundry basket, getting ready to leave the room.

"Only one. About a murderer in Jump. He will be arrested later, after I send the information to the police." He walks past me, and out of the room. I follow behind him.

"You usually work at 3 AM?" I ask. He stops. I raise a brow, and come to stand next to him.

"I couldn't sleep." He whispers, hoping I won't hear, but I do. I'm not trying to be nosy, but I want to know if the cameras freaked him out.

"_Why?_" I ask.

"I just...Slade, the maniac we were fighting earlier?"

"Ya?" I pressed on.

"He's my archenemy. He...Last year, he forced me to become his apprentice, holding my teammates' lives as ransom. We won in the end, but..." He pauses, probably considering if he really wants me to know whatever it is he wants to tell me.

"..."

"But," He finally decides, "I think he's trying to make me his apprentice again. I've tried to tell my teammates, but they just tell me I'm obsessing."

"Why do you think he is?"

"We haven't heard of him for sometime now, but recently, sladebots have been everywhere, he's tried to fight me alone, Plasmas, Overload, and Cinderblock, monsters who we know _matter-of-factly_ work for him, have attacked the city lately, and- and- and something just feels wrong about it all!" He exclaimed. He seemed really stressed out about it.

"Hmm...I think..."

_I think he's right. That seems off. But...why does this-Slade-think Richard's so amazing? What about him is SO special? _

"I think you're right," I say, finally, "There's something wrong about it all. You...need to watch your back." Robin nods.

"I know that, but what I don't know is what I have to look out for. No matter what, Slade's plans are never to be underestimated. He's tricked us too many times, and we haven't caught him even once." He says.

"Why didn't you ever tell me about him?" I question.

"I...didn't want to worry you."

Worry_ me? I'm trying not to laugh. I never _worry_ about him. He must think I'm weaker than I really am! _

"Oh...Thank you then." I say quietly. He smiles softly. I'm trying not to scowl. Then, I remember he's my brother, and I don't need to pretend I'm a sweat hero in front of him. "No," He stops smiling, and looks at my scowling face, "You didn't tell me just because you didn't want to _worry _me? Is that the _real _reason?"

"Nightin-"

"Robin! **Don't say that**." I say, my eyes wide. I can't believe he let that slip.

"Sorry, but-" He stops, and we turn to see a floating Starfire coming through with her own laundry. "Oh hello, Star." He says. I look at her, and see that she's staring me down.

"Good of the morning, Robin and friend Alissa." She then quickly floats over, and pecks him on the cheek.

_Whaaaaaat?_

And then, he kisses her back.

_WHAAAAAAT?! _He looks over at my surprised expression.

"Oh, Star and I are dating. Didn't I tell you?" He asks. This still doesn't wipe the surprise from my face. I just can't see them together.

"No. No you DIDN'T TELL ME." I say.

"Oh, I must've forgot." He says, his eyes lingering on Starfire as she floats into the laundry room.

"We'll continue this later." I whisper, and walk back to my room.

...

Once I'm into my jumpsuit, I feel hunger kicking in. So, I walk into the kitchen, and start making my breakfast. Because I can't cook to save my life, I go straight to the cupboards to find a cereal I like.

"Lucky Smiles, CoCo Crunchies, Fruit-Hoops..What kind of cereals are these?! There's no...OH!" As soon as I spot some Corn Flakes, I'm fine. I pour milk into the bowl, and sit down at the table to eat.

Only a few minutes later, Cyborg and Beast Boy walk into the kitchen.

"I can't wait to cook some juicy BACON." Cyborg says loudly.

"WELL, I am so EXCITED to eat my delicious TOFU." Beast Boy says equally as loud.

"MEAT IS GREAT!"

"TOFU IS BETTER!"

"MEAT!"

"TOOOOFU!"

"MEATY-MEAT MEAT!"

"TA TA TAOFUUU!"

"MEEEEEEAT!"

"TOFUUUUU"

And suddenly, two words enter my brain. _Stupid _and _Stupider._

"I was thinking the same thing." A cold voice says from behind me. I jump, and so does Beast Boy and Cyborg. Raven is standing right there.

"R-raven! I d-didn't see you t-there!" Beast Boy stutters.

"Hmm.." She mutters. Was she reading my thoughts just now?

"Raven! What did you say earlier?" Cyborg asks.

"I was thinking the same thing she was." She motions to me.

"What was _that?"_ Beast Boy asks. Raven doesn't answer. I turn back to my breakfast.

"Come _on_ Rae! Tell us what she was thinking!" Cyborg joins in. I smirk. It'll bother them if I tell them what it was, but even more if I don't. So, being the person I am, I keep my mouth shut.

"I'm not going to tell you." She answers, pouring her tea, and floating to the table. She sits next to me.

"Ughhh.." After Beast Boy and Cyborg make their breakfasts, they sit down. A while later, Starfire joins us. Robin never shows up.

"Did Robin already intake the break of fast?" Starfire asks in her annoyingly innocent voice.

"Ya, probably. He's always up early after fights with Slade involved." Cyborg says, between bits of bacon.

_Hmm..So they don't know he never slept.._

"Dude! He's crazy obsessed!" Beast Boy joins in.

..

Later, I find myself walking down to the training room to workout. I'm hoping I'll be alone, but it seems it's not ment to be, because Robin's in there, taking out his stress on a punching bag.

"Hey!" I yell. He stops, and chugs down a water bottle, waving to me with his spare hand. "How long have you been down here?" I ask.

"A few hours." He answers, setting the water bottle down, and wiping his sweat off with a towel.

"Well, I'm going to join you." I say, setting my own water bottle and towel down next to a treadmill.

"That's fine with me." He answers, and we spend the rest of our workouts in silence, other than the occasional heavy breathing, or a "Just...one...MORE!"

After another hour, he starts to leave.

"Wait!" I say, and run to him.

"Ya?"

"I still need to talk to you. You haven't answered my question."

"Well, I've been busy, and right now I have work to do." He answers, probably avoiding my question.

"Later, then," He starts walking out, "Just make sure you have an excuse ready." I mutter, just loud enough for him to hear. He doesn't answer, just pauses slightly before he walks out the door.


	10. Care

Chapter 9 of Nightingale

Robin-Care and Suspicions

"Just make sure you have an excuse ready." I definitely hear Nightingale mutter. I pause, annoyed, and walk up to the living room.

I was lying before. When I told her I didn't want her to worry about me.

_She doesn't exactly care about anybody. It's funny, my reason for not telling her is exactly the opposite of what I said. _In a simple form, I didn't want to believe that she wouldn't care. I wanted her to come running to Jump City to help me. I wanted her to be the same Cassie she used to be. Of course, I knew she wasn't going to do that. But, why tell her when I knew she wouldn't do anything?

"Robin." I hear Raven's cold monotone, and I look up from my spot at the table in the kitchen. She's hovering next to me, with her hood down.

"Hey."

"What's making you upset?" She asks, slowly. She must've sensed I was on edge.

"It's..nothing." I stand up. I turn to go, but she blocks my path.

"Is it Alissa?" She raises an eyebrow.

"N-no." I reply. However, my stutter answers her question.

"Just because I'm quiet doesn't mean I don't notice things."

"..." My silence tells her to go on.

"Like...How Alissa's aura is darker than the average _hero. _Which makes me wonder if she really is one-"

"She is." I insert quickly. Too quickly.

"Are you _sure _about that? The rest of the team is very trusting of her, but what if she's just like Terra?"

"I...I know for a fact that she's not." I answer, trying to pull her off the subject. But, she's not finished yet.

"And, I did some research. There's no heroes in Gotham named Ace- or anywhere for that matter."

"She's not public," I try again, "She likes to keep to herself, and is careful not to get in the way of a camera."

"Robin. How well do you know her?"

"Very. Very. Well."

"Would you trust her with your life?"

"I-" My eyes go wide.

_Would I? Really. Life or death situation; would I want her to help me? Would she even? Would she only save herself?_

"I-I-I...I don't know."

"_Why?_" Raven pressures.

"She...I don't know if she cares about me enough to do that." I half-whisper.

"Is she _hero enough_ to do that? Is she _good_ enough? How about_ bad_ enough?" Raven goes on and on.

"Raven stop, "She pauses, "You don't even know her. You can't judge her like that."

"Robin. How well do _you_ know her?" She says, and floats out of the room.

...

The rest of the day, I avoid being alone with both Raven and Alissa, and spend my time mostly with Starfire. We end up on the roof, looking at the city. I ask her out, after a few minutes of pushing myself to do it.

"I would very much be pleased if you and me had "the date"." She claps her hands together, cutely.

"Then, how about seven O'clock?" I ask.

"That would be most great!" She smiles, "And where should we go?" Her eyes sparkle when she smiles. How come i've never noticed this before?

"...I'll make it a surprise." I say, just to make her more excited.

"Oh now I am most happy!" She twirls in the air, making her hair flow around. Her emerald eyes light up.

"I hoped you'd be." I smile with her. She pecks me on my cheek, and I can feel the redness seeping up into my cheeks. I kiss her lips, and we slowly become more passionate. Several minutes or hours or days-who really cares?-goes by.

"Ahem." I know that voice. Starfire and I quickly separate. Nightingale's standing there. "Sorry to interrupt, but I left my cellphone up here." She quickly grabs it, and turns to leave. "You can go back to making out," She laughs, "I'm leaving." She laughs as she goes down the stairs. I wonder how long she was watching us.. I watch her until she's gone, and then stare at the door for a few seconds.

"Boyfriend Robin?" Starfire stands in front of me.

"Y-Ya Starfire?" I come back to the real world, and out of my thoughts.

"What should I wear for our outing?" I smile at her cuteness.

"Semi-formal." I tell her.

"Joyous! I shall go to my room and get ready!" She spins around, and takes off down the stairs. I follow, however walking, and find myself almost running into Cyborg and Beast Boy charging up the stairs with a ball of dirty laundry.

"Robin! You'd be the perfect third player for our match of Stinkball!" Beast Boy yells.

"I can't. I need to smell good for tonight." I say, trying to get past them on the space-limited staircase. They block my path.

"What's tonight?" They both smirk.

"My date with Star." They both howl.

"OHHHHH!" They yell.

"Are you gonna make out?!" Beast Boy teases.

"Mwa Mwa Mwa! Robin I love you!" Cyborg mimics Starfire and makes kissing noises. Beast Boy joins in.

"I love you too, Starfire! MWA MWA!" Beast Boy mimics me.

"Guys..." I slap my forehead. It's my fault for saying I had a date with Star. Before they can go any further, I quickly make my way down the stairs.

I find myself in the living room, surfing the channels. I'm all alone. I'm guessing Raven's in her room, and Starfire's definitely getting ready.

I'm about to wonder where Nightingale might be, and then like the universe answered me, she was leaning on the couch behind me.

"Robin."

"Oh hey, _Alissa_." I say her name, and it feels so fake in my mouth.

"You still need to answer me." I hear her say, in a low voice.

"I...Later-"

"Later when?" She says, calmly, but I know she's getting angry, "You've avoided me all day." I look up at her, and see that her head is turned to face the television, and not aimed at me.

"Just...Not now." She lets out an angry laugh.

"Why? You don't have an excuse ready yet? Let's see what you can come up with now. Why, Robin? Why didn't you tell me about Slade? And don't give me the same crap as earlier." She gets louder with each word, but is restraining herself from yelling at me.

"I...I knew that you wouldn't care." I spill. She breathes in air through her teeth, and looks down at me.

"So I wasn't worth telling, because I wouldn't...care?!" She spits out the last word.

"I'm telling the truth this time."

"Wow! Great job Robin! This is worse than the last excuse!" She starts shouting now.

"Look, I'm telling you the truth!" I yell right back.

"You're serious?!" She gets right in my face, "You thought I wouldn't care?! That I wouldn't worry about you?!" This makes me stop.

"Wait. Are you saying that you would worry?" I ask.

"Well..Partially. And the other part of me would know that your..team and you," a little bit of disdain fills the last bit, "would figure it out."

"I..."

_I want to stop this fighting. I should have told her. She would've worried. She's still...a bit...like the Cassie I used to know._

"Ya?"

"I should have told you. I'm sorry."

* * *

Chapter 9 of Nightingale

**Nightingale - **Care and Suspicions

_He just said that he was sorry._

_He said it._

_That he was sorry._

_He, the hero, was apologizing, to me, the assassin...to his sister. _

_Well, I never thought he would ever do that._

_And even though he's only apologizing for this, not for all the other things I'm seriously mad at him for, I'm happy. I'm happy that he cares enough to do that. Of course, I'd never tell him that I was._

"Ya, you really should have!" I answer, just a bit sarcastically. He catches this, and half-smiles.

"So we're okay?" He asks, holding his arms out, offering a hug.

"Ya, sure." I smirk, and push him away. We might be okay, but I'm not hugging him. I walk away, and head for my room.

...

**..."Charles! I was the one! I was the one who killed Sarah!" Charles heard a voice from behind him, as he held the knife to George's throat. He turned around, to see Bea, standing there, with puffy, red eyes, and tears streaming down. His shock was so great, Charles dropped the knife.**

**"I-I'm sorry.." Bea dropped to her knees, letting out a sob. Charles stared at her, disdain, and disbelief mixing into a strange expression.**

**"Why..?" He choked out, "She did nothing...SHE DID NOTHING TO YOU!" He took an angry step towards her.**

**"SHE DID!" Bea screeched at him, "SHE TOOK YOU! She took you...from me!" Bea let out an exasperated sob.**

**"So you..killed her..just so you could have me? IS THAT IT?!" Charles grabbed the knife from where it had dropped. He started towards her, and she couldn't move; she was so petrified by her emotions, and by fear.**

**"Charles..YOU CAN'T! I l-love you so much!" Bea started to get up, but then slid back down.**

**"You killed Sarah...Didn't you know I would be despaired?!"**

**"B-but then you were supposed to come into my arms, AND I WOULD BE THE ONE TO COMFORT YOU! BUT YOU NEVER DID!" She screeched, and he came closer and closer.**

_Yes! Kill that backstabbing, whorish, bitch!_

**_ loved _you..For so long. I watched girl after girl come, and leave. Y-you loved her...instead of me. BUT I WAS THERE SINCE THE BEGINNING!" Bea threw her head into her hands, and heard him standing right next to her.**

_YES YES! KILL HER!_

**Suddenly, instead of a sharp pain, she felt a pair of strong arms holding her.**

**"It's alright.." He sobbed with her, and she heard the knife fall, "I forgive you-**

"WHAT THE HELL?!" I threw the book against the wall, "WHAT DID HE DO THAT FOR?! HE WANTED SO BADLY TO AVENGE SARAH'S MURDER, AND THEN HE HOLDS HER?! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT ABOUT?!" I stand up, and angrily walk downstairs to the gym, to get my anger out of me.

"I can't fucking believe this...This is so stupid...HE'S SUCH AN IDIOT!" I mumble as I go down the stairs.

I look around the gym, happy that nobody's there. I walk over to the punching bag, and let all my anger release into my fighting. After a half hour, I'm much calmer. However, I'm seriously considering hunting down and assassinating the author to, "A Summer of Love and Blood".


End file.
